Weekend results 97-07-07

DirtNews Digest Your Online News Source for Late Model Dirt Track Racing "Get Some Dirt On Your Computer!" Todd Turner, editor

Email address: DirtNews@aol.com Web site: http://members.aol.com/dirtnews/digest =================================== CONTENTS: July 4-6 results (published July 7) UMP: Moran steals Summernationals race from Weaver UMP: Summernationals schedule and results CAPSULES: Roundup of other holiday weekend results =================================== UNITED MIDWESTERN PROMOTERS UMP Summernationals

HAUBSTADT, Ind. (Sunday) Donnie Moran proved he doesn't have to be at Eldora Speedway to pull off one of his patented slide jobs.

With Kevin Weaver held up by a lapped car, Moran slid under the leader in Turns 1 and 2 on the final lap to win the 10th leg of the UMP Summernationals tour at Tri-State Speedway. The three-time World 100 champion, making a rare appearance on the 20-race series, collected $5,000 for the 50-lap victory at the tight-turned quarter-mile oval in southwestern Indiana.

Weaver, who was gunning for his second Summernationals victory of 1997, held on for second place ahead of Kevin Claycomb, Billy Moyer and Summernationals points leader Rick Aukland. Steve Barnett, John Gill, Bob Pierce, Greg Williams and Jimmy Burwell finished sixth through 10th.

Moran, scoring his first big-race victory since June 14 at Hagerstown, Md., halted win streaks for Moyer, who won three consecutive Hav-A-Tampa races over the Fourth of July weekend, and Aukland, who won the two previous Summernationals stops.

Moran started on the pole and beat Weaver into Turn 1 on the bottom groove, where every preliminary race was won. Moran pulled away slightly in the opening laps while Weaver, McCammon, Randy Korte, Aukland, Williams and Claycomb gave chase.

While Moran stayed low, the seventh-starting Claycomb, a regular at Tri-State, began experimenting on the high side and moving toward the front, passing Williams and Aukland on the sixth lap, and getting around Korte for fourth on the ninth lap.

Claycomb set a trend as more cars moved to the high side, including Weaver, who swept around Moran as the leaders went under the flagstand on the 15th lap. Moran wisely moved to the higher groove to follow Weaver, while Claycomb, McCammon and Williams completed the top five positions at that point. With everyone running high, passing became difficult the rest of the race and lapped cars caused headaches for everyone.

Weaver, driving inches from the outside wall through the corners, led by about a dozen car lengths over Moran when the race's only caution appeared on lap 32 for the fourth-running McCammon, whose engine briefly flamed up as he stopped between Turns 3 and 4. Weaver, Moran and Claycomb held down the top three spots at the break while McCammon's departure gave fourth to Moyer. Jimmy Burwell would've moved up to fifth, but he was forced pitside by a flat tire and gave up the position to Aukland.

When the race resumed, it was clear the winner would come from the top five -- Weaver, Moran, Claycomb, Moyer and Aukland -- as the quintet glided along the cushioned corners. There were no changes and few challenges until the final laps, as Weaver was forced to deal with Carnell Parker, the only lapped car still on the track.

Weaver had built a half straightaway lead by the 45th lap, but the high-running -- and slower -- Parker cost Weaver his lead. As the final five laps ticked off, Moran drew closer and closer, until he was right on Weaver's rear deck when the white flag dropped.

Weaver gambled and stayed on the high side behind Parker, but Moran dove underneath both cars as he entered Turn 1. Moran's No. 99 angled through the first turn and slid into Turn 2, where it blocked the path of Parker and Weaver, who frantically tried to fight his way past the lapped car for another shot at Moran. Moran gathered his car and cruised the rest of the way while Weaver, still stuck behind Parker, settled for second, which paid $2,000.

"Kevin, he run a good line," Moran said. "He kinda got caught up on the lapped car and I took advantage of it."

Weaver said he lost ground over the final laps partly because of an aborted attempt to set up Parker for a pass.

"We just didn't make the right move there at the last," Weaver said. "I was kinda glancing behind me there and I thought (Moran) was a little farther back than what he was. He must have gained a lot them last couple of laps. I thought I had about five lengths on him, and I thought I could make another lap without him passing me."

"I didn't think he could keep up enough momentum passing two cars, to slide (past) two cars going into the corner, I figured he'd have to hit the lapped car before he made it through the corner, but evidently not," Weaver said with a pained grin. "He made it."

CAR COUNT: 40 late models.

FAST QUALIFIER: Kevin Claycomb, 14.305 seconds (1/4-mile oval).

FAST DASH (sets first three rows of feature): Donnie Moran, Kevin Weaver, Randy Korte, Doug McCammon, Greg Williams, Rick Aukland, Kevin Claycomb, Donnie Tudor, Mike Gibbs.

FIRST HEAT (10 laps; top three advance): Kevin Claycomb, Bill Frye, Jim Rarick, Bobby Melvin, Dan Sturgeon, Rohn Moon, Jeff Wilson (Tony Izzo scratched).

SECOND HEAT: Mike Jewell, Jimmy Burwell, John Gill, Donnie Tudor, Dennis Erb Jr., Johnny Wheeler, Ivan Jerome, Todd Rust.

THIRD HEAT: Bob Pierce, Mike Gibbs, Carnell Parker, Steve Karnes, Gary Frost, Joe Morris, Dan Schlieper, Dusty Chapman.

FOURTH HEAT: Billy Moyer, Steve Barnett, Billy Drake, Bill Millikan, Dennis Erb Sr., Mark Peppers, Lee Thomas, Terry Messinger.

CONSOLATION (15 laps; top two advance): Steve Karnes, Dan Sturgeon, Bobby Melvin, Dennis Erb Jr., Donnie Tudor, Gary Frost, Dennis Erb Sr., Joe Morris, Johnny Wheeler, Mark Peppers, Dan Schlieper, Bill Millikan, Dusty Chapman, Rohn Moon, Ivan Jerome (Jeff Wilson, Lee Thomas and Todd Rust scratched).

FEATURE (Pos., driver, car no., hometown, chassis, unofficial laps, winnings) 1. Donnie Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, MasterSbilt, 50, $5,000 2. Kevin Weaver (B12), Gibson City, Ill., Rayburn, 50, $2,000 3. Kevin Claycomb (28), Vincennes, Ind., Rocket, 50, $1,200 4. Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., Rayburn, 50, $1,100 5. Rick Aukland (12), Fargo, N.D., Rayburn, 50, $1,000 6. Steve Barnett (89), Franklin, Ind., Rayburn, 50, $700 7. John Gill (75), Mitchell, Ind., MasterSbilt, 50, $600 8. Bob Pierce (32), Danville, Ill., MasterSbilt, 50, $500 9. Greg Williams (17), Haubstadt, Ind., Barry Wright, 50, $450 10. Jimmy Burwell (1r), Mount Vernon, Ill., Rayburn, 50, $400 11. Jim Rarick (32), Moweaqua, Ill., MasterSbilt, 50, $230 12. Carnell Parker (75), Clarksville, Tenn., GRT, 48, $230 13. Mike Gibbs (33), Gosport, Ind., GRT, 42, $230 14. Billy Drake (9), Bloomington, Ind., Shaw, 38, $230 15. Mike Jewell (9), Scottsburg, Ind., MasterSbilt, 32, $230 16. Steve Karnes (11), Marion, Ill., Rayburn, 32, $230 17. Doug McCammon (92), Palestine, Ill., Rayburn, 32, $230 18. Randy Korte (00), Pierrone, Ill., GRT, 19, $230 19. Bill Frye (21), Greenbrier, Ark., Rayburn, 13, $230 20. Dan Sturgeon (26), Bedford, Ind., MasterSbilt, 8, $230

NOTES: Donnie Moran was one of only three drivers new to this year's Summernationals series .... Moran won the pole by virtue of winning the fast dash, when he bulled past Randy Korte to take a race that had several restarts, bumps and crashes .... crewmen from Ray Cook's team helped Moran's regular crew in the pits .... Kevin Weaver was coming off a two-day layoff after winning a feature worth $2,500 at Highland (Ill.) Speedway on Thursday .... Tony Izzo loaded up after qualifying.

CREDIT: Todd Turner <DirtNews@aol.com> of DirtNews Digest ------------------------------------------------------------- UMP SUMMERNATIONALS SCHEDULE/RESULTS

June 25, Missouri International Racepark, Benton, Mo., $5,000 to win (RANDY SELLARS) June 26, Tennessee Motor Speedway, Baxter, Tenn., $5,000 to win (RAY COOK) June 28, Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway, "Jackson 100," $10,000 to win (RICK AUKLAND) June 29, LaSalle (Ill.) Speedway, $5,000 to win (RAINED OUT; rescheduled for July 13) June 30, Vermilion County Speedway, Danville, Ill., $5,000 to win (KEVIN WEAVER) July 1, K&L Raceway, Mount Vernon, Ill., $5,000 to win (RANDY KORTE) July 2, I-55 Speedway, Pevely, Mo., $5,000 to win (ED DIXON) July 3, Paducah (Ky.) International Speedway, $5,000 to win (TONY IZZO JR.) July 4, Central Park Raceway, McHenry, Ky., $5,000 to win (RICK AUKLAND) July 5, Barren County Speedway, Glasgow, Ky., $5,000 to win (RICK AUKLAND) July 6, Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, Ind., $5,000 to win (DONNIE MORAN) July 7, Kankakee (Ill.) Speedway, $5,000 to win July 8, 67 Raceway Park, Godfrey, Ill., $5,000 to win July 9, Spoon River Speedway, Banner, Ill., $5,000 to win July 10, Macon (Ill.) Speedway, "Herald & Review 100," $5,000 to win July 11, Farmer City (Ill.) Speedway, $5,000 to win July 12, Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway, $5,000 to win July 13, LaSalle (Ill.) Speedway, $5,000 to win July 14, Davenport (Iowa) Speedway, $10,000 to win July 15, Cresco (Iowa) Speedway, $10,000 to win July 16, Steele County Fairgrounds, Owatonna, Minn., "Gopher State 50," $10,000 to win ------------------------------------------------------------- FRIDAY'S RACE CAPSULE

EUNICE WINS NLMS RACE AT EAST GEORGIA: Cecil Eunice of Blackshear, Ga., fought off all comers in leading every lap of the Bearden Oil/Sunoco Skyrocket 75 at East Georgia Speedway in Swainsboro. "That was a tough one," Eunice said of his National Late Model Sportsman-sanctioned victory worth $4,000. "We could not afford the slightest slip all race long." One of the race's eight cautions was caused by a dog running onto the track. Rookie Dewayne Chancey was fast qualifier (19.29 seconds) among 29 entrants at the half-mile oval. FEATURE (75 laps): (1) Cecil Eunice, (2) Gene Maine, (3) Billy Godowns Jr., (4) Wendell Durrance, (5) Dennis Smith, (6) Terry Lumley, (7) Ricky Brant, (8) Joe Kump, (9) Jimmy Lee Davis, (10) Tracy Mimbs. ------------------------------------------------------------- SATURDAY'S RACE CAPSULES

MORRIS GETS FIRST SUPR VICTORY: Waylon Morris of Bienville, La., captured his first career Southern United Professional Racing (SUPR) victory at Boothill Speedway in Shreveport, La., advancing from his second-row starting spot and taking the lead on the 35th of 40 laps when Ronnie Poche dropped off the pace. Ronny Adams led the first 20 laps before he was overtaken by Poche, who had built a healthy lead before retiring. The victory was worth $2,000 for Morris. FEATURE (40 laps): (1) Waylon Morris, (2) Butch Patton, (3) Rusty Cummins, (4) Ronny Adams, (5) Howard Willis.

MARS GETS WISSOTA WIN AT CEDAR LAKE: Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, Wis., grabbed the lead early in the 100-lap race, then held off a final challenge from Lance Matthees to win a WISSOTA-sanctioned special at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. Mars pocketed $5,000 for the victory. FEATURE (1) Jimmy Mars, (2) Lance Matthees, (3) Joel Cryderman, (4) Jim Bruggeman, (5) Rick Egersdorf.

GIBSON WINS SOUTHERN ALL-STARS RACE AT CLEVELAND: Polesitter Kevin Gibson of Ringgold, Ga., captured the 20th annual Stars 'N Stripes 50 at Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway, winning $3,000 for his biggest career victory. Gibson inherited the lead in the Southern All-Star Series event from Rodney Dickson, who started outside the front row and led the first 13 laps until his throttle hung and he slammed into the first-turn wall. Dickson wasn't injured. Gibson was the fast qualifier among 31 entrants. FEATURE (50 laps): (1) Kevin Gibson, (2) Jamie Perry, (3) Mike Head, (4) Bo Shirley, (5) David Millians, (6) Lamar Scoggins, (7) Robby Mason, (8) Brian Pritchard, (9) Roger Best, (10) Brian Hickman, (11) Peanut Clinton, (12) Kent Hicks, (13) Greg Skinner, (14) Dewayne Smith, (15) Mike Tinker, (16) Michael Garrett, (17) Jeff Walker, (18) David Killian, (19) Dave Wright, (20) Carson Burris, (21) Johnny Chastain, (22) Kenny LeCroy, (23) David Curtis, (24) Rodney Dickson.

BLOOMQUIST WINS 50-LAPPER AT VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY: Scott Bloomquist, making a surprise visit at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., fought off Dave Burks throughout a 50-lap feature for a $1,500 victory at his home track. The track hosts the STARS-sanctioned Mello-Yello 100 on July 18-19. FEATURE (50 laps): (1) Scott Bloomquist, (2) Dave Burks, (3) Vic Hill, (4) Randy Ford, (5) Carlos Campbell, (6) Kerry Jones, (7) Bryan Hendrix, (8) Stacy Boles, (9) Donnie Baker, (10) Jerry Broyles. ------------------------------------------------------------- SUNDAY'S RACE CAPSULE

STUHLER COMPLETES MACS WEEKEND SWEEP AT I-79: Gary Stuhler of Greencastle, Pa., won a 50-lap Mid-Atlantic Championship race at Interstate 79 Speedway in Shinnston, W.Va., to complete a two-race weekend MACS sweep. Stuhler won at Bedford, Pa., on Friday. At I-79, Denny Chamberlain was fast qualifier among 34 cars while Tim Hitt, Chub Frank, Mike Hawkins and Chuck Harper won heats. Rodney Combs, driving an experimental six-cylinder powered Rocket chassis, started the feature with a provisional starting spot and ended up 13th. FEATURE (50 laps): (1) Gary Stuhler, (2) Tim Hitt, (3) Steve Francis, (4) Dave Groves, (5) Rick Eckert, (6) Scott Rhodes, (7) Steve Lucas, (8) Chub Frank, (9) Denny Chamberlain, (10) Shane Hitt, (11) Bob Salathe, (12) John Flinner, (13) Rodney Combs, (14) Mike Hawkins, (15) Phil Jeffries, (16) Frank Wilson, (17) Ernie Davis, (18) Lynn Geisler, (19) Chuck Harper, (20) John Britsky, (21) Tim Harsh, (22) Robbie Scott, (23) Miles Stitzinger, (24) Ron Slavic. ------------------------------------------------------------- CAPSULE CREDITS: Tommy Scott <tscott@linknet.net>, Dixie Phillips <dixie@hhs.net> of Interstate 79 Speedway, Robert Walden of Volunteer Speedway, John Kaiser <71623.762@compuserve.com> of NLMS and Steve Hixson <BILLHIXSON@msn.com> of Cleveland Speedway. -------------------------------------------------------------